August 11, 2010

Farm and ranch production expenditures for Nebraska totaled $15.23 billion in 2009, down 9% from a year earlier, according to
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Nebraska Field Office.

Livestock expenses, the largest expenditure category, at $3.09 billion, decreased 23% from 2008. Feed, the next largest total expense category at $2.08 billion, decreased 17% from 2008. The category showing the largest percentage increase over the previous year is seeds at 13%. Livestock expenses accounted for 20% of Nebraska’s total production expenditures. Feed accounted for 14%, rent 11%, and farm services 9%.

The total expenditures per farm or ranch in Nebraska averaged $322,669 in 2009, down from $353,797, a decrease of 9%. The livestock expense category was the leading expenditure, at $65,466 per operation, more than five times the national average. The average feed expenditure, at $44,068 per operation, was greater than two times the national average. Rent expenditures at $35,593 per operation was almost three and a half times the national average.

Farm services expenditures per operation at $28,602, was above the national average. These results are based on data from Nebraska farmers and ranchers who participated in the Agricultural Resource Management Study conducted by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Producers were contacted in February through April to collect 2009 farm and ranch expenses.

More Information

This is the sixth year of state level information published for Nebraska from the Agricultural Resource Management Study.
Access the National publication for this release at: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/FarmProdEx/FarmProdEx-08-03-2010.pdf